the New Team
by Kitcass
Summary: Ten years after the formation of the original team, their sidekicks and kids form the new covert ops team. run by Lian harper (speedy 3) and Damian Wayne (robin 5) the newest generation of superheroes struggle with growing meta-human hate on top of a new villain, seeming to control the world from the inside.
1. Intro

" metahumans; they call themselves heroes, protectors of the people, but what

are they really? The few metahumans who do not choose the path of robbing banks,

murdering, and god knows what else: choose to involve themselves in police

business. The so called 'heroes' are ruining our society! Children no longer

want to grow up to be doctors or lawyers, they want to be superman! And even the

youngest of meta humans, are still a danger to our society! These 'teen titans'

could be attending your child's school! They could live next door, a child with

the captivity to destroy a block with a snap of their fingers, living right

under our noses, even the adult heroes have the leniency to break the law,

because of the guarantee they cannot be forth to justice without knowledge of

their 'secret identity' which is why I, pose the option to you, the good people

an parents of america, should meta humans be forced to register to be active

heroes? Or shall they continue to rampage our cities with their-"

The tv screen went black with a click and a remote flew across the room,

crashing into a wall on the opposite side. Carter Reed was curled up on the

couch in a glaring daggers at the TV, completely ignoring her sister Erin's

shocked glance. "you know," she said looking back dully at the blank screen.

"-if you really wanted, we could of just changed the channel." Carter just

grunted and curled up tighter on the couch. Erin sighed and stood up. Crossing

the room, she bent down for the remote and clicked the TV back on. The plump

congressman who had been speaking, had been replaced by a commercial of "happy

kitty cat food" with striped kittens eating it and looking like they got high

and danced under a rainbow. She took this as an opportunity to switch to

cartoons and jumped back onto the couch, releasing a cloud of dust and

aggravated squeaking noise. Sure it was true, their little family of six wasn't

the luckiest in the world, but they get by and had each other. Mom and dad were

both at work right now; dad as a construction worker and mom A cashier at a

department store. Austin was no doubt using the schools gym to work out, and

hunter didn't even get out of school for another hour. Carter was only a year

older than Erin, but they were both freshmen anyway thanks to their birthdays.

Erin remembered just last year, this time of the day would be spent with them

both goofing off in their room, sharing crushes and soccer tips. Now; a year

later, Carter had quit soccer and quit speaking to anyone really. Her once

straight glossy blonde hair that Erin had been so jealous of was now yanked back

into a tangled mess. She had lost weight and the pants that she had complained

about being to small last year were barely able to stay on her narrow hips. But

the scariest thing that had happened, was the scars. Carter constantly wore long

sleeves and pants, even in summer. Whenever Erin would walk in on her changing

or in the shower, she would rush to cover herself. But she couldn't hide them

all, even know, in the middle of winter, when she had excuse to be wearing

nothing but hoodies, you could see them. A thin line covered her left cheek and

tiny little white lines and splotches were visible on both her hands. But what

could they do? Therapists were expensive and out of the question, mom and dad

were either not home, or so tired they couldn't think straight. Austin dismissed

it as normal and Hunter was nine, he didn't even know what the word emo meant.

So Erin did nothing, she simply laid down on the other end of the couch so the

entire room looked sideways. She closed her eyes and stretched out her foot for

her sisters and gently prodded it. A year ago, that would of sparked a

competition of kicking which would of lead to fits of giggles and a pillow

fight. But the foot didn't move. And Erin buried her face in the dusty old

couch, and dis her best to cry as quietly as she could.

Carter lay awake and staring at the ceiling, listening to nothing but her

sister's body breathing on the bed below her. When Carter looked out her bedroom

window, she didn't have an amazing ocean view. She didn't see a brightly lit

city that never dimmed, or a lush jungle with the sounds of animals. She saw a

bush. The widow she used to sneak out only lined the top of this wall, and let

out right at ground level, as they had a basement bedroom. It seemed like

forever before Erin was asleep and she could leave. The window pushed out

without a noise and Carter rolled onto the grass behind the apartment. She

reached in the little ditch under the bush and grabbed her costume, silently

shut the window, and slipped outside.

The area behind the apartment consisted of nothing but a few acres

of empty grass which eventually lead to a fenced in construction site. She could

go around it, but what fun would that be? As she scaled the fence, thousands of

volts of electricity surged through her, giving her an adrenaline rush no drug

could ever produce. She jumped off the top of the fence and grinned, now she was

charged for night.

Carter ran through the unfinished buildings like they were her own room, she

could of done it blindfolded by now, after how many times she had run through

it. A 6 months of self training had been done here, until she got into the

league. But even now, with all their fancy high tech training equipment, she

still preferred her old Rusted steel beams and chains. Sometimes even Cork made

it out here and they would spend hours sparing on beams hundreds of feet above

ground. But tonight was different, tonight She had no time to run through the

familiar course of sit on the highest part of the structure and look over the

city of New York; a view far surpassed by her bedroom window, no, tonight She

actually had a job to do. Carter was on the team full of the almost teenage

meta's (and robin) that worked for the league instead of for themselves like the

titans did. There was the seven of Them; Carter, Cork, Bobby, Robin, Lian,

Colin, and Iris. And very rarely did all them get called at the same time,

normally it was just who they needed; based on powers or abilities. So this

meant it must be something important carter thought as she jumped of the final

beam and landed on the opposite fence, where electricity went through her like a

knife until her hair started singeing at the ends and she jumped down. the wet

grass felt nice on the soles of feet, which were made of rubber to reduce energy

loss into the ground when she walked. What looked like an oak tree stood out

among the barren dirt and metal, but she knew what it really was. If you stick

your fingers into two certain creases and pull a certain branch, the ten inch

solid steel 'bark' of the tree would open up to a a small room large enough for

one person to strand completely vertical . Then, you would have your finger and

eye prints scanned in addition to a voice recognized daily password you had to

know and have the voice match. So. Far that much security had been irritating,

but had kept the cave clean from intruders ever since they updated the system.

Carter tapped her foot impatiently on the floor while the computer finished

scanning her body for angling of unnatural physical changes that had meant a

shapeshifter has tried to mimic her form. The computer cleared her; and in a

bright flash of blue, she felt her molecules being taken apart and put back

together. The feeling was someone uncomfortable, but you get used to it. The

room was empty other than the two people in the middle having an intense sparing

match. A slim boy all dressed in his uniform and a girl in sweats with her hair

tied back, holding her own against Damian just fine. She was the only one who

could. A gust of wind announced Iris next to Carter, still dressed in her

civvies and her red hair let free so it curled around her entire

face.",butidontknowwhatitisor-" she said quickly

and carter gave her the look. She knew her and her father speak so fast when

they were together it was practically another language, so you had to cut her

some slack when she rambled on in super speed. "no one knows why we're here I,

and no body can understand you when you talk that fast." iris humphed and

crossed her arms before making her way to the kitchen where she cleaned it out

in under thirty seconds. Carter ignored her and plopped on the couch. "save some

for the rest of us!" she yelled to the ginger who was halfway through the third

sandwich. "I don't believe your folks are starving you". She said and flicked on

the TV. Iris appeared next to her on the couch and shoved the rest of the

sandwich down her throat. "anything good on?" she asked and sat criss cross

while licking her fingers. Carter said nothing but started channel surfing until

she came to the news. The reported was an energetic blonde woman who was

discussing some traffic incident and which roads to stay away from. Like she

cared about roads, she was above roads. She was about to flip the channel again

when the irritating fat man came on the screen, his mouth frozen open in some

kid of angry spaz fit. THe anchorman was talking about meta-registration laws

and how the bill was finally in risk of passing after being pushed on congress

for years. The screen changed to a live discussion of congress discussing the

bill and Carter leaned forward. "iris," she said "you watching this?" but iris

was gone. The tv screen suddenly let out a hundred surprised gasps at once and

iris was standing there, next to the speaker. Carter squeaked and Cork stood

over her, looking at the screen. "is that Iimpulse? \I" she asked

dumbfounded. Carter nodded and stared. Iris had managed to change into her

impulse costume on the way. The murmuring through the crowd finally ceased iris

said something, that couldn't be heard because she didn't have a mic. "can I

borrow that" Damian translated in a monotone behind us. I jumped and flipped

around. He hand one hand on the couch and was leaning slightly forward. I gave

him a look. "that's what she said" he said with a shrug. Cork stole the remote

an clicked up the volume. The speaker had stepped out of the way with her mouth

open like she wanted to say something. She looked at the cameras for help before

they put the spotlight back on I. She tapped the microphone twice and the three

of us leaned in as iris started to talk. It amazed how much that chick could

public speak, if she took the time to slow down. "you say meta humans are

nuisances, a burden to society," iris started officially. "looks like she read a

dictionary on the way there too." a voice said from the chair. Lian had arrived,

and was twisting one of Her arrow heads on and off with her eyes glued to the

screen. "and, yes I can confess," the iris from the TV started "that we mess

up, we cause fights that cost money, we break curfew, and, sometimes we even

make poor judgement calls, which is what I believe, that congress is doing now.

You want meta's to register, correct? Especially the ones who have come out as

heroes? But what you haven't thought, is what happens in the aftermath? What

happens when our secret identities are common knowledge? We will be picked off,

one by one, by the villains will kill us off. Best case scenario, they come to

our houses and kill us right then and there, worst case, they kill every single

friend and family member we have, informing us they are coming, then locking us

in a rip off torture chamber basement for weeks until we finally die. And on top

of having the murder of the 200+ adult heroes, on your hands, you have

approximately 100 under age 21, 50 under eighteen, and at least 35 active

heroes and sidekicks who are ranging from age seventeen, to age nine. Do you

really want the blood of children on your hands? And even if you think it's

worth it, what happens during the next alien invasion? Or takeover of

intelligent gorillas? Will your government take care of those? No!" iris looked

straight into the camera. The congress was silent but Carter knew she was

imagining the classrooms and bars filled with people cheering for her. "face it,

this nation, this I world /I needs the justice league, they need the titans,

and they need kids like me, who have been given the power to change the world

for the better, and they choose to use it. And after having seen heroes save

every single person in this room's life more than a dozen times, I think we are

allowed to keep out identities a secret for our own protection." she gave the

camera one last look and was gone in a blur of yellow and red. We all turned

around when she showed up behind us. Colin and bobby had showed up during the

speech and the five them were glaring at her with emotions ranging from

admiration to disbelief to pure rage. Carter, of course was laughing her a**

off. Damian was grinning. We all knew there was not a chance in hell the bats

were giving up their identities, and if that bill was going to pass, they would

all have to be on the run, as any of them giving in would give away the rest.

"you crazy bitch!" he said with a grin. "you just saved all our arses" cork said

in her normal emotionless tone. Lian, on the other hand, was not so pleased.

"you broke into congress, took the stage from the speaker of the house, and gave

a freaking speech!" her voice started rising. "and Damian, you dumbass! We're

not freaking meta's, that bill wasn't going to make us register!" Damian cut her

off. "come of lil, do you really think the government would pass up and

opportunity to out out who batman is?" he pulled out his cell phone and started

to read. "section 6 paragraph 4." he stated "any intelligent life form- which

means aliens and mutants too-" or any human who copies the actions or the meta

humans, must undergo a registration process to wear a mask while active." Damian

stopped using his big official voice. "ie: the bat and arrow families" Lian said

nothing but huffed. "well it was still stupid." Damian grinned, he had won. Lian

was the leader, she had been elected. But he still had the smarts that this team

needed. He started again "well no matter the case, we still won. No way congress

can do that to us now, but we are going to have to face the wrath or the justice

league for doing that. The titans are probably cheering, but I know the big man

isn't going to let us off the hook-"

"no, he isn't" the seven of us flipped around


	2. the big bad batman

There he was. The big bad batman. Everyone said he wasn't as bad as the old one, but every time I saw him I felt the need to bow down or piss myself. "what were you thinking?" he said in a deep voice cork had informed me was faked. Iris stepped in front and looked right at him. "I did it. No one told me to." she said to batman steadily.  
>You can say a lot of things about iris, she's naive and clueless and, well <em>impulsive <em> but she was loyal and brave and can hit the speed of sound in under two seconds if batman ends up pissed.

The two of them had a brief stare down which may have never ended if robin hadn't stepped between. He spoke to batman like he was talking to a brother instead of the goddamn batman. "you two can have your stare down later. Why are we all here?" Colin and Chris were exchanging nervous looks by the kitchen breakfast bar and Cork was acting unimpressed like usual. Batman signaled them all into the briefing room and Damian looked back and gave them all a _that's how it done bitches _kind of look and was thwacked in the head by Lian on the way out.

Batman had several video clips pulled up in the computer when the seven of us showed up. Each one was another short scene from one of the anti hero speeches that frequented tv nowadays. But each one was slowed down times a hundred and enlarged to cover an entire wall of the cave. Batman played each clip and we watched silently, but I knew I was bubbling with anger.

He showed us six and turned to us. "anything abnormal?" he asked with that serious mask. Robin had raised an eyebrow under the mask. "they didn't memorize their lines?" he said scoffing. It was true, all the big official people had paused during the speech, as if trying to remember lines, but quickly continued as if nothing had happened. Batman nodded and said "anything else?" iris was getting fidgety when she spoke. "whenever they pause their eyes get all glowy?"  
>I stared at her in disbelief. There had been no glowing. But batman nodded. He backed up the last one and played frame by frame until I saw it. The pupils disappeared in the first frame, and the eye emitted a faint white glowing in the second. The third frame it was gone.<p>

"whoever is doing this is betting on people dismissing it as camera or television problems. Which means he's not smart. I'm betting on a new telepath, inexperienced, but powerful enough to influence people under high security that have nearly nothing in common other than their position in power and new found hatred of metas."

it took everyone to take a second to absorb everything, except robin, who spoke up after a second. "if you think their being controlled, wouldn't the league investigate or?..."

"the league has no solid proof of this, two frames of footage hardly work as evidence. I want each of you to track the six people you watched, robin, I want you speedy and zatanna on the senators because they will have the most guard, the rest of you I trust can break through mediocre hollywood security? Abuse and voltage, tell your guardians you'll be attending a weekend outdoors camp where you cannot contact them. Meet back here for individual mission assignments in twenty four hours." batman finished, and left the room without asking for questions. Robin followed on his tail and the computer alerted us they had zeta tubed back to Gotham. Cork waved us goodnight and disappeared into the tunnels of the cave. She was the only one who lived here full time, other than tornado who was never much fun.

Chris, Lian, and iris all transported back home and Colin was still standing there. "I already told them I wouldn't be home till Sunday, no point going home for a day" Colin said to his shoes. I knew he was lying, Colin was an awful liar, but I honestly don't think the orphanage would notice a single kid disappeared for a weekend. He was the second most common resident at the cave, always staying weekends and breaks and whenever he was just fed up with normal life. I could relate. "well, my parents won't check my bed till noon and my sisters not a snitch, wanna see if cork's up for some video games?" he seemed happier at the fact I had bought his bluff then the promise of a night of video games and food. Cork was in the first place we looked, the gym. It had been less than twenty minutes since she left, but whatever workout she was doing was in full swing. She swung across the dozens of different gymnast bars I had no name for, and landed on her feet right in front of us, sending Colin back a step. "Los videojuegos?" I asked and grinned. It was a goofy team thing to switch off languages when we spoke, Lian and robin both spoke English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, and Japanese to the point they could carry on conversations, plus the dozens of others they would somewhat understand. Robin had also told (well bragged) to us he was completely fluent in French and Latin. Cork knew "Spanglish" and iris... Well she could learn a language in a day, I don't know if she's ever taken the time to learn anything more than the mandatory Morse code and sign language given to all of us by batman.

Cork looked at the bars, then back at me, and nodded. "pop nrocpop" she said calmly, but the popping noises from the kitchen could be heard from here. Colin's green eyes lit up and the three of us started running toward the kitchen to make sure nothing had exploded. Again.

"OK Grayson, what's up?" batman and robin had turned back into Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson for their "dinner" at one am. Alfred was sizzling some kind of meat over the stove and the two superheroes sat arguing at the breakfast bar. "there's five others, why do I have to take new girl?" Damian growled loudly .  
>"you're the most experienced"<p>

"bullshit, Speedy's just as 'experienced' as me, and less hostile, that electricity chick is naive, clumsy, and inexperienced. She got the fortune of getting powers instead of dying, but we both know how long your little 'learn from your peers' exercise is gonna work, about ten seconds after she blows the stealth thing and get us both fried"  
>Dick had started eating some of Alfred's beef tacos and looked back at Damian with cheese hanging out the corner of his mouth. Damian scowled "fine, fine, you win" dick said, letting his trademark smile disappear and turning into the (bad) act he put on while being batman. "I don't trust her, all the other members are easy to keep an eye on, all children of people I know and have to work with daily. Courtney lives with red, who I also trust, and Colin is either with red or less than a mile away from you. But carter worries me, she's new, she's all the things you said, and she's off my easily watchable map. We have no eyes on her nearly ever unless she's on a mission or in the cave. She has yet to prove herself trustworthy, no other hero heard if her before a year ago, and no existing hero vouched for her to come onto this team. But she's here, and you will respect that. I'm sending you with her, yes because you are the best choice to handle anything she could throw at you, but also because I do trust you, and if you come back and tell me you trust her, then I will. Capishe? "<br>"capishe" they ate their tacos.

Lain was the first one to the cave the next morning. she walked in on Colin, cork and carter passed out on various places with the TV blaring the theme song for Mario kart. Carter had her head thrown back against the headrest and had six hours worth of drool dripping all the way to the floor. Colin was upside down and his hand still dipping in a bowl of popcorn kernels and Cork was curled up neatly around the steering wheel for the game. Lian sighed an began circling the room picking up candy wrappers and video games. Colin and carter had started snoring, but cork woke up as started to help until Liam told her to go get some real sleep in her room.

Robin showed up next, thankfully without batman. He took in the scene for about two seconds before shrugging and walking to the kitchen. Lian finished cleaning and flipped over the couches roughly and told the two groggy kids to go get some sleep, they happily obeyed and she slipped into the kitchen to check on Robin.

He was sitting cross legged on a bar stool, the toaster in front of him while her took the whole thing apart. She knew him well enough to tell this meant he was unhappy. She also was the only person other than batman and Colin who knew his real ID. But as Colin had found out through them being kidnapped together, she allowed herself to feel special that he had willingly told her. She and Damian had know each other since the were born. The two of them had never been real close pals, in the league of shadows training program, Talia al ghul was God and Cheshire was a servant. Their children were treated the same way. But after Cheshire decided she had feelings and pulled Lian out of there when she was five, she thought she'd heard the last of the prophet boy. She was wrong.

When Lian turned six, she was just getting situated living with her dad. He was a nice guy who didn't hate her for doing what she only knew now was wrong. Dad taught her how to shoot, she knew most of the things from her mom but dad taught her how to do it without killing them. Two years went by, and on her eight birthday, a box showed up on the doorstep. Lian knew it was meant for her dad, but she read the card anyway. It said: _I've been meaning to give this back to you for a couple of years now. Give it to Lian will you? Tell her it's from me _it didn't have a name, but Lian was smart. She knew who it was from. She opened the box with Roy and found a yellow hat with red feathers and a bow that looked like it matched. Lian looked curiously at her dad. They had dozens of bows, and he had a few hats like this in the basement. But Roy had a sad smile in his face and looked at Lian. "sweetheart, I think it's time I took you I work."

Two years after that day, Her, Jai and Iris were the became the best of friends. Dad had told her about aunt Artemis and uncle Wally, and about uncle Wally's powers, and how Iris had them, but Jai did not. But she did not care. Jai made a great dad when they were playing house, and sometimes she preferred him to iris because he didn't get stuck in stuff or break things when he got excited. Those two years were the best for her, she watched iris take up her cousins' name of impulse when he graduated to kid flash. Then Chris entered their circle of superhero friends and became the new Superboy after the first one had become superman almost five years ago. But she watched Jai getting darker. The giggling little eight year old kept getting darker and darker, until one day he disappeared. Iris came running all the was from central and started crying on the Harper's front stoop at three AM while it was pouring rain. It between sobs she understood that Jai was gone. Iris said he had been kidnapped, but Lian had watched him grow more jealous and angry ever since she first had to leave him to go be speedy.  
>A month passed and the police declared Jai a runaway based on his behavior at school and his friends statements that Jai had been stashing his cafeteria cookies in his backpack for a month. Uncle Wally and aunt Artemis were constantly dropping off Iris so flash and tigress could go looking for their son. But either Jai was smarter than anyone had given him credit for, or he was dead. He was only eight.<p> 


	3. how it began

The new team chapter 3

The year of eleven was a big one for the now full timed speedy. She went to the fifth grade during the day and was arsenals sidekick speedy at night. Superboy impulse and speedy had yet to team up, but Saturday visits from the flash, superman and their sidekicks were frequent. The three of them mostly ran through the woods behind the harpers one story house, and occasionally practiced stealth skills by eavesdropping on the grownups. Unlike most old people, Conner, Aunt Artemis, Uncle Wally and dad had conversations about things she cared about, not stuff like golf or gossip. It was one of these evenings she heard about Robin. Uncle Wally and iris were gone, on some mission in central city. So just Aunt Artemis was there, the two archers quietly talking while Lian was supposed to be sleeping. "-just can't believe he's actually gone. That was Artemis. "I know? He always seemed immortal. Hell, when I was fourteen and you guys pulled me out of that pod, I thought he really was God. Even now, I still think that" she could hear sadness in dad's normally happy voice. Artemis sighed. "What about the kid? He can't just go back to his mom, and he hardly knew his dad for a month."

"Well I'm sure Dic- Lian!" Lian gasped and pulled her foot back behind the corner. She had been subconsciously inching towards them for the entire conversation and now her entire leg hung out in the open. "Lian?" her dad whispered again. "You can come out here" Lian walked into the living room and sat on the other side of the couch her dad was sitting on. "Who were you guys talking about?" she asked. Roy had cut off before he heard the names. "Lian, I think it's time you met Robin."

Lian grinned. Every time her dad said something like that she knew it would be a fun time. Boy was she wrong.

"I hate you"

"I know"

"No, I don't think humans can understand the kind of quantity in which to measure my hate for you"

"Probably on the same Level as mine for my mother"

"What?"

"My mother"

"Ha. Probably nothing compared to mine"

"Oh yeah? Your mother was Cheshire. Mine's ten times worse."

"How did you know? And I doubt it"

"Trust me"

"How the hell am I supposed to trust you? You got into this"

"Calm down, I'm fixing it"

"Then hurry. I need to pee"

"I'm going"

Robin pressed a section on his glove and out popped a mini knife, which he began sawing the ropes with.

"Almost got my secret ID revealed while I was tied up butt naked. Always bring the glove knife from then" he answered Lian's look.

"We're still stuck in here"

"Well than shut up and let me work"

It was just over three days since Lian had been home with her dad, having the little yelling match with Cheshire. She and Robin had been formally introduced on a Gotham rooftop at one in the morning. A few muggings, and a small bank robbery later, Lian was back at school with the memories of Robin fighting taking over her tired brain during second period geometry. Something about the way he moved was familiar. He was obviously showing off to impress both batman and her, she guessed he was fairly new at the business by the slightly awkward way batman and Robin interacted. This was also the first time she had met batman too, and as didn't know if it was training of years of experience, but he didn't seem as scary as his reputation held.

"Got it"

"Good, let's go"

The two twelve year old assassins wiggled out of their ropes and switched their makes to night vision with now free hands. They were in a subway tunnel, no lights or windows anywhere.

"There, a door" Robin said.

And sure enough there was a door, locked and made of metal, but a door nonetheless.

"There's no lock to pick, and an explosion here could bring down the whole tunnel" Robin continued

"Well we could-"

A train whistle sounded in the distance

"-catch a ride on that"

"Sick assholes, having a train run over some kids"

"Well you did blow up all their money"

"Money the made selling drugs to kids!"

Lian grinned, and then frowned.

"They took my bow"

"My belt is voice activated; anyone that's not supposed to touch it gets electrocuted when they try"

"That's great, but how am I supposed to get on the train, do you have and extra grapple?"

"Well I do. But remember, my first one got stuck and I had to leave it"

"Well crap"

"Just hold on to me"

"I know, that's why I was saying crap"

"You're hilarious"

A train whistle sounded again, this time much closer and lights appeared at the edge of the tunnel. They pressed themselves against the wall and Lian sighed, reluctantly grabbing Robin's hand. The train rushed by and Lian found herself yanked forward, grabbed by the trains wind pocket. Robin's knee pressed her against the wall again and he fired the gun. She was yanked again, this time forward. Lian grimaced at the fact she owed this kid her life.

Robin kicked in a window and pulled inside, to the surprise of many innocent metro riders. The train was almost empty, for it was nearly one in the morning. But one little boy, no older than nine broke free from his mother and ran over to them.

"Wow! You're Robin aren't you?"

"I am"

"And you're speedy!?"

"Yup"

"My daddy says speedy was a boy when he was a kid"

"Yup. But now he's is too old to be speedy anymore"

"Are you two dating?"

Speedy and Robin exchanged surprised looks

"Um... no." speedy said awkwardly.

"Well you should"

"Thanks kiddo" Lian said quickly as the train approached another stop. "C'mon honey, we get off here"

Robin looked murderous

The train doors opened and the two of them pushed through a surprised crowd into the not-so-fresh Gotham night air.

Robin grinned and pulled a section of rope out of his belt.

"Dumbasses probably didn't bother to wear gloves tying us up, so they left traceable fingerprints"

Lian laughed "great. Now let's go to the bat cave, if I don't call my dad in the next half hour he'll call in the JL"

An hour later and Lian was still stuck in the batcave. The whole thing looked amazing, and any other night she would be unbelievably excited, but tonight all she wanted was to shower and fall asleep. Robin hadn't moved since they sat down so she decided it was safe to take a nap.

"My mother was Talia al ghul."

"What?" Lian snapped awake, had she imagined that?

"My mother, she was Talia al ghul"

The two of them were sitting on a ledge in the batcave while arsenal and batman checked the rope for fingerprints. She had nearly fallen off

"wha-? Batman, and her and Talia and wha-?" Lian said, very much awake now

"She stole his DNA and cloned me using hers and his. I saw you during my first few years of training. Then you disappeared and mother told me never to associate with her old assassin Cheshire and that was the end. Till about a year ago."

"Robin, I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"I know, and it's Damian. Damian Wayne."

"Wayne huh? So is batman-"

"Was. My father is dead"

"What? But batman, he's right-"

"Dick Grayson. The first Robin. He took over the mantle after my father died"

"I'm s-"

"Don't"

Punk wasn't going to let her get out a full sentence huh?

"I only knew him for about a month. He wasn't really like a father to me. He wouldn't even let me be Robin because he thought I would kill someone"

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, Lian unsure of what to say.

"So what now?" she asked him

"I don't know" he shrugged

"Well maybe I do" Lian grinned, catching a glimpse of a picture. In the picture were eight kids, all smiling and all costumed? The original "team"

Robin followed her gaze and rolled his eyes.

"No"

"What? we did pretty good tonight right? And besides, Superboy and impulse are close personal friends of mine, we wouldn't be alone"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't work well with others"

"Well I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not really giving you much of a choice here"

Speedy held out her hand, and Robin took it. And that's how it started.


End file.
